The present invention relates to postal matter adapted to have an address written thereon as is the case with an ordinary post card or an ordinary sealed letter. The postal matter in accordance with the present invention may have a postage stamp or stamps put thereon or, alternatively, may be mailed on terms of separate payment of postage instead of an affixed postage stamp. In particular the invention concerns itself with postal matter which can be mailed with various kinds of a small article attached thereto in such a manner as to be made prominent and conspicuous.
In recent years, direct mail in the form of a post card or a sealed letter is in general use as an advertising medium.
The obverse of a post card for use in direct mail has a portion allotted either for affixing a postage stamp thereto or for affixing a postmark indicating that the post card is mailed on terms of separate payment of postage instead of an affixed postage stamp. The obverse of a post card for use in direct mail has another portion allotted for writing an address thereon. A photograph and/or an ad-copy is printed on the reverse thereof. There is no teaching in the prior art that a small article such as a sample can be sent together with a post card for use in direct mail.
A sealed letter for use in direct mail includes an envelope having a flap adapted to close an opening of the envelope. The front of this envelope has a portion allotted either for affixing a postage stamp thereto or for affixing a postmark indicating that the sealed letter is mailed on terms of separate payment of postage instead of an affixed postage stamp. The front of this envelope has another portion allotted for writing an address thereon. A space for accommodating letter paper, etc. is defined by the front and the back of this envelope. The envelope is sealed and mailed when a sheet or sheets of letter paper carrying an ad-copy, together with a small article such as a sample, have been put therein. Since the envelope is made of opaque material, one cannot look therethrough to see what is inside thereof. This holds good even for a window envelope, in which case one can merely take a look at an address through the window.
On the other hand, it is most common to accommodate a commodity in a transparent housing and secure the housing to a rigid sheet, which has a hole or a hook-shaped member at the top so as to allow the rigid sheet to be suspended vertically. On many occasions, features of the commodity are printed on the front of the rigid sheet, while instructions to be followed by users are printed on the back thereof. However, this assembly consisting of a commodity, transparent housing and rigid sheet cannot be sent by itself as postal matter. In order to send this assembly as postal matter, it must be put in an envelope.
Nowadays, the number of families who lay aside direct mail without reading it or even without unsealing it is increasing. The effectiveness of advertising cannot be hoped for if the number of families who read or unseal direct mail decreases. Those who send out direct mail are well aware of this fact, and yet they send out direct mail simply because it can be economically mailed as long as it has a prescribed size, thickness and weight.
In view of the above-described problems, one of the primary objects of the invention is to provide postal matter in the form of a post card which takes a recipient by surprise because the post card is accompanied by a small article.
Another object of the invention is to provide postal matter for use in the form of a sealed letter which also takes a recipient by surprise because a small article is attached to the sealed letter in such a manner as to be made prominent and conspicuous.